Tetrapyloctomy
by Not Even The Turtle
Summary: Though they have never met, Leonardo is sure he has brothers. He can sense their presence, feel their pain, their feelings. And now he is determined to find those brothers. AU! T for Language & Violence
1. Prologue

Darkness enfolds the alleys of New York at night, and this day is no different in that aspect. The silence of police sirens and screams that usually hangs in the air is replaced by the deafening roar of quiet. Street lamps flicker to life, illuminating the paths travelled only by car. The rear entrance of a local convenience store is dimly lit by these lamps, shedding just enough light to see the green hue glowing in a pair of eyes behind a felled trash can. Suddenly a door is flung open with a crash, sending a beam of yellow light into the seemingly empty parking lot. The eyes retreat, going unnoticed by the rather hefty man heaving barrels of expired food into the dumpster that rested against the brick and mortar wall of the building. The man is wearing chunky black headphones while humming a tune to some popular song as he works, focus elsewhere as the pairs of eyes upon him multiplied.

Shivering against the cold night air, the man took the blue plastic barrels and drug them back inside, extinguishing the source of light as the door shut. All was silent, and the eyes were on the dumpster that had been carelessly left open. Then there was a surge in activity as many various forms, some covered in fur while others were slick with slime, raced to the discarded leftovers. All notion of stealth was flung out the window as each of the creatures battled for nourishment, hissing, scratching, and biting one another in their frenzy. One of these creatures was different from the others. It sat back, swishing its long, hairless tail in anticipation, waiting for the opportune moment to strike. That moment came soon, and the creature struck out with a clawed hand, successfully retrieving a sack of molded bread before a wart covered beast could reach it.

In a flash of brown and white, the creature was back at his first hiding spot behind the trashcan a few yards away. Hungrily, he ripped a roll that had grown speckled black and green fuzz out of the mesh sack. He snapped his pointed teeth and slurped saliva down at the mere thought of sinking his teeth into the live saving food, filling his concave stomach to the brim for the first time in weeks. Before he could, though, a sharp cry met his highly sensitive hearing. He peeked over the silver metal behind which he was concealed to find a long-eared, white mutant pulling on one end of a log of meat. The other end was held firmly by a reptilian monstrosity, its forked tongue flickering as it yanked the rotted meat out of the furry white creature's paws with the only appendage it had; a long, snake-like tail.

After winning its prize, the serpent hissed with an open mouth, revealing its long pointed fangs. The young long-eared mutant let out a pitiful squeak as it cringed backwards. The green and black snake lunged to attack the defenseless creature, and at that moment was met with a hard kick to the face. Sprawling against the concrete in a heap while still holding his food, the snake let out a roar filled with rage. Its cat-like eyes whipped around in time to see the mutant that had kicked him land gracefully on all fours, a sack of bread dangling from its mouth.

"Rat!" The reptile hissed in repulsion, curling up its giant form to strike once more. He paused only to watch as the brown and white rat took the bread bag out of its mouth, looking tenderly to the white rabbit still lying on the concrete.

"Take this, young one, and leave this place." The rat said with a calm yet serious tone laced with an obviously Japanese accent. Cautiously, the long-eared rabbit took the gift, nodding his thanks before making his attempt at escape.

"Oh no you don't!" The snake cried out, sending his tail that clutched the meat around to whip the rabbit. It came up short when the rat stopped it though, pinning the appendage down with one mere clawed foot. The serpent glared harshly at the emaciated yet powerful rodent, ignoring the younger one at last as he disappeared into a darker alley, "You will pay for thisss!" It declared, striking forwards to bite down into furred flesh. He was denied of this once more as the rat dodged, landing a scratch to the soft flesh of the snake's right eye as he did so. The elongated reptile recoiled immediately, screeching in pain as blood ran down the side of his face. The brown-haired mutant moved in to land a final blow while his opponent was distracted when bright floodlights blasted into the previously dark parking lot.

Chaos ensued immediately. The rat's heart fluttered in his chest as he scrambled to a halt in his retaliation and turned in the opposite direction. Screaming of all sorts came from behind him as men in black padded uniforms marched in with wicked looking weapons. The rat ran on, fearing only for his own safety as he fled from the clutches of these men.

"Freeze! This is the Mutant Law Enforcement!" Bellowed a particularly deep voice, "All mutants in this area must show licenced proof of humanity or you will be scanned and receive a fine. Compliance with the MLE is mandatory..."

The rat ran until he could no longer hear the booming echos of the man's voice through the megaphone. Once it was out of earshot, he slowed to a brisk pace and focused on concealing himself in the shadows provided by the alleys that riddled this city. His brown eyes darted at his previously taken path to see if he had any tails, but nothing seemed out of place. Once he was sure of his security, he looked out from the inky black depths of his hiding place across the street, where he knew a manhole cover awaited him. His eyes shone green once more as they reflected the light from overhead. Though he knew all was safe, he couldn't help but feel as if something were amiss. So he waited, standing in still silence with the exception of the occasional gunshot ringing out from his earlier location. Half an hour went by before the rat decided that he was only imagining things and took a step into the open.

Just as he did so, a large, rectangular black van came careening around the corner with startling speed. The rat leapt back into the shadows as it accelerated ahead, showing no signs of stopping until one of its tires spontaneously exploded. The vehicle screeched as it veered off the road and through the glass display window of a bike shop, where it proceeded to burst into flames and set off a wailing alarm from the building. To say that the mutant rat was stunned was an understatement. He panicked, knowing the authorities would be here soon to investigate the sprung security system. He dashed across the street and quickly lifted the lid of the manhole cover. He had hurried into the tunnel and was in the process of lifting the circular plate back into place when it reached him.

The sound of a crying infant.

He will never truly know what possessed him to creep carefully back out of that sewer access tunnel, and never came to regret that he did. The rat cautiously neared the black van, whose back double doors had flung open during the collision. The wailing got louder as he approached the back doors. He looked around the corner to see the charred remains of three humans, two strapped in the front seats while one particularly petite corpse was clutching a tightly bundled, squirming package in the rear of the van. This was the source of the sounds, and the rat quickly moved to remove the baby from the scorched woman's remains, trying his best to ignore the way her liquified eyeballs seeped out of her eye sockets.

Finally freeing the wriggling form from the body, the rodent turned it over and lifted an edge of the thin, blue blanket it was swaddled in to reveal its features. He gasped as he was met with the sight of a leaf green face, scaly skin, and bright orange eyes. A mutant. Some sort of reptile to be exact. It had ceased crying upon being held in the rat's arms, and was now hiccupping pitifully as it gazed up at him with those watery eyes.

"Hello." The rat said, not knowing exactly what to do himself as he unwrapped and searched the baby over. He sighed in relief when he found no injuries on the mutant child, which turned out to be a turtle by the looks of the domed, keratin formation on its back, "You are quite the oddity, are you not?" he said, noting that the infant only looked to be about a year old at the most. At the sound of the old rat's voice, the baby reptile smiled, revealing soft pink gums where teeth would eventually grow in. The rodent couldn't resist the urge to smile back. In that moment he knew this was no accident, whether that be this child's mutation or their meeting. It was fate, and it warmed the old mutant's heart to an immeasurable degree to know this. The tender moment was interrupted, though, by the loud sound of police sirens. Thinking fast, the rat clutched his now precious cargo close to him, racing back to the manhole and diving in, using his free hand to cover it once more.

As he landed with a splash in the narrow, brick laid runoff system, the tiny turtle began to sniffle again. "Hush, young one, it will be alright." the rodent soothed as he briskly made his way through the familiar maze of old sewer tunnels. He was glad to feel the child calm down when he spoke and decided to keep on with his discovery, "I am called Splinter by the ones around me. That is what you shall call me as well."

* * *

**Tetrapylocotomy will be coming in October, 2014!**

**Please review if you are looking forward to it!**


	2. The Quest Begins

Neon orange globes stared into the gaze of deep, wise brown ones. The only sound that could be heard was the trickling of water that came from the left side in the Japanese styled room. A steady stream lay in an electric fountain which sent clear water down a man made riverbed of mechanically carved pebbles, cascading down into a pool of collected liquid, until it was sucked back up to the top of the fountain to continue its perpetual flow. The scent of the water was overpowered by the aroma of lavender incense. Tendrils of smoke wafted about every inch of the room, covering its occupants as well as the many bonsai trees and tatami mats in a pleasant smog. The lighting in the tranquility room would be considered mysteriously dim to anyone unfamiliar with tealights and meditation.

To the two staring at each other, it was the embodiment of peace below New York. The graying rat finally allowed his posture to slacken, blinking at last. His pupil followed his example, and the two smiled at each other warmly. While they sat in silence, the older gazed at the younger to take in every detail of his features. His chiseled jaw line increased the masculinity of his already toned neck and shoulders. The scaly green skin enveloping the younger being was covered at the elbows and knees by thick leather padding, which matched the bindings on the two-toed feet and three-fingered hands. Rather thin brown straps made an 'x' mark across the turtle's plastron, reaching back to do the same across his shell, which curved ever so slightly with his spine. The handles of twin katana could be seen peeking over each broad shoulder, wrapped neatly in black rayskin cord up to the guard that separated the handle from the blade. Then finally, the father took in the defining symbol of his son, the icon that made all of the criminals on the streets of Manhattan shudder in fear.

Azure cloth outlined the coral orange eyes, and covered the turtle's cheekbones and eye ridges. The mask was tied into the back with painstaking delibracy to ensure that the tail ends measured out to be exactly the same length, which now hung over one shoulder.

"Leonardo, my son." The rat said in a warm tone with his Japanese accented voice, looking at his only student while pride swelled in his chest.

"Master Splinter." Leonardo replied, eyes alight with excitement and worry. Splinter reached across the short distance between them to place a gentle paw on the scaly yet soft shoulder.

"Today, you are ready. For thirteen years, I have prepared you. You have shown great wisdom, skilled strength, and incredible spirit. I fear there is little left to teach you." Splinter went on as he withdrew his hand to place it in the sleeve of his burnt red robe on his other arm. Leonardo's eyes went wide at this, surprise evident on his expression.

"I'm nowhere near as skilled as you, Sensei. There is so much more for me to learn from you! I know there is." The young man insisted, but the aged rat could only smile and shake his head.

"Whatever there is left for you to learn, you will learn outside the confines of these walls while honing the skills you already possess." Splinter informed, knowing exactly what his son was doing, "I thought you would readily agree with this. Something troubles you, Leonardo." It was not a question, and by the way the orange eyed turtle finally dropped his head to look away, the rat knew he was spot on in his deduction.

"It's just, what if they're..." The nervous tone of Leonardo's voice trailed off in a doubtful manner. Splinter sighed with a huff as if irritated.

"Leonardo. We have gone over this many times. Trust the powers that be. You have convinced me of their existence, there should be no doubt you are convinced yourself, especially now that you are ready to seek them out." Splinter firmly said, making sure his voice stayed tender to reassure his son.

"But, what if they really aren't real? I mean, I was five years old! It could have just stuck in my head, and you've always said that the power of suggestion is-"

"My son. Do you doubt my certainty in the matter?" Splinter put out on the table, causing Leonardo's mouth to shut so fast he could hear his teeth clash together. The turtle shook his head hurriedly, and Splinter let loose a wide smile before straightening out his posture once more in the lotus position. His son did the same, and the rat spoke, "Find them and tell me where they are."

Leonardo let out a tired sigh, but did as requested of him. Clearing his thoughts and closing his eyes, the turtle sent his spirit out on the astral plane as he had done so many times since he was five. As his spirit roved, it began to be drawn to a source of energy similar to his own, yet vastly different. It was a strong, passionate soul, with a fierceness sharper than any two-edged sword. Its aura pulsed red naturally, a sure sign of hostility and anger mixed with intense compassion and drive.

Leonardo moved his spirit on a little ways further to a spirit that emanated peace, humility, and intelligence that sparkled darkly with purple essence. At the center of this aura, though, was a black void caused by the anxiety, agony, and loneliness of the soul.

Leaving this presence and going against the grain, far away from either of these spirits, was a burning aura of orange that stood out against any darkness with outstanding vitality. Joy and innocence radiated from this spirit, along with a willingness to love unconditionally. The only negative side to this soul was the gaping emptiness and sense of unexplained loss it felt at every given moment.

"Raphael is back in his usual territory from his trip out East, and Donatello is in the same place as always, just South of him. Michaelangelo is still up north towards the border." Leonardo replied, naming the presences he felt respectively. Or at least he hoped so. Though he always had access to the astral plane, he had never felt the others enter it, so he could never truly communicate with them. He had never met these souls that he coveted like his own brothers, but had named them from the same book Splinter had gotten his name as he got to know their personalities through meditation.

"I assure you, these are not figments of your imagination. The powers that be have guided you to them. Fate has connected you four in ways that I do not understand myself." Splinter quietly told his son, "Your destiny awaits you, but you must make the path to it yourself. Do not doubt yourself, my son."

Leonardo kept his eyes closed in his current position for a few more moments, absorbing the wisdom and advice of his father. The young man knew he had been waiting for this day for a long time. The continual pull he felt towards his brothers had never left him since the first time he felt them. Like a moth to a flame, he was drawn to their amazingly brilliant spirits. Splinter knew this, and had lovingly helped him to prepare for this exact moment. Once the words had fully settled into his heart, he opened his eyes, "I won't, father."

"Good. Now, let us gather your belongings to prepare you for the journey ahead." The rat said in finality, using his walking stick that rest at his side to stand himself up, though in reality he truly did not need it. Leonardo suspected his master was only using the weapon as a cane because he simply could do so. The sixty-eight year old was actually quite spry, and the turtle had yet to best him in combat. Leonardo smirked a bit at the thought, watching his sensei walk away, his wooden cane tapping the ground with ever step. In the next moment he was up on his own feet to follow the rat out of the room.

Directly outside of Splinter's personal quarters was a hallway that opened straight out in front of them. Three doors on either side lined the walls, each opening up to a fifteen by fifteen room. The last door to the right was Leonardo's. The turtle let his father go ahead to the kitchen while he entered his own room. It was styled in a similar way to the rat's, with the exception of the small cot on the far side of the room, bright blue covers neatly made over it. Leonardo preferred to sleep on his back, which was near impossible to do so with a shell on a roll out mat like Splinter had. The masked turtle looked over his room one last time before heading to the far corner, where several tealights were lit to provide the room with light. Licking his first of two fingers and thumb, he easily squelched the flames at their source, only returning to the door when all six were left with wafting streams of smoke heading for the ceiling.

Back outside of the room, Leonardo closed his door and head right, out into the main area of the subway station that had been abandoned years ago. The area was large and completely open. Gymnastics mats lay across the concrete floor where the two occupants often sparred, and a torn up practice dummy sat off to the side, one of its black button eyes hanging from its face by a single thread. The only dividing factor in the room was that of the small island that marked the edge of the kitchen area. Not much could be said about this room, for the only kitchen like item it held was an old card table that played the role of the dining table, with an array of metal fold up and plastic lawn chairs around it. A battery powered skillet lay in the middle of the table, and Leonardo knew the wooden island was filled with canned and non-perishable food. Their water source came from a bathroom that thankfully still worked. Unfortunately, there was no running electricity in the painfully simple home.

What items they did have, including what they wore at the moment, were found out of sheer luck after several years of scavenging through junkyards, or given to them as gifts from a select few friends. The rat had head to one of these gifts, a coat tree with two large, tan trench coats hanging from it. At the base of the rack sat a burlap sack with a drawstring. Splinter took down the larger of the two trench coats and the bag in his hand before turning to his son just behind him.

"Make sure you get to Miss O'Neil's as quickly as possible." The rat urged as he first handed the coat over and let his son don it. It was just big enough to fit around his shell and equipment strapped to his back, the large collar hiding the handles of the swords when flipped up. Splinter continued as he passed Leonardo the bag, "Stay hidden, remember your training."

"I will, Sensei." Leonardo answered, a bit of amusement finding its way into his voice at the worrisome parent as he untied his mask and slowly held it out for the rat, "Hold onto this for me until I return, Sensei." The aging rat sighed and shook his head, deliberately reaching forward to clutch the blue band in his hand.

"Come back soon, my son." Splinter said tiredly, stepping to the side to let the turtle pass. Leonardo hesitated once more, gazing at his father and master without going forwards. Without a word, the rodent lay a clawed paw on his shoulder, gently pushing him towards the exit of their lair. A moment's hesitation found its way into the turtle's two-toed step, but he head for the door straight as an arrow, his father's loving words echoing through him and giving him strength to move forwards.

_Splinter had just walked by the door of his only son's room to head for his own room at the end of the corridor. Slight whimpering was what caused him to halt and take a step backwards, ears twitching to the left. When the sound came again, he knew something was amiss. Slowly creeping up to the door, the rat lay a hand against the cool surface of the wood and applied pressure to move into the room. Immediately Splinter's eyes adjusted to the lack of light in the room, his responsible five-year old having put out his candles before going to bed._

_On the far side of the room, amidst a pile of ragged and worn blankets, Leonardo's small form writhed and tangled itself in the covers. The child cried out suddenly, and in an instant the father was at his son's side. Worry gripping his heart like cold talons, the mutated rat reached forward to rest a comforting paw on the turtle's arm. The skin, though, was hot to the touch, and Splinter pulled away almost immediately. _

_"A fever." Splinter whispered in his accented voice. He had not been expecting such a thing to occur. Only a few hours ago, he was in the dojo practicing kata with his adopted son, and the turtle was perfectly healthy. Now he appeared to be asleep, though he was far from a peaceful rest, and very sick. Pain was engraved on the features of the terrapin, cold sweat covered his hot skin, and labored breaths were only interrupted by a painful whimper. Fear began to settle in Splinter's stomach, weighing his actions down suddenly as his mind drew a blank on what he should be doing. He hoped desperately as he observed his student in pain that this would pass soon, knowing he could not afford to take him to the surface. But deep down, the rat knew a fever as severe as this one could leave lasting damage if not treated properly. He needed help. That meant leaving the sickly turtle by his lonesome. Just as the thought gave reason for further panic on the father's part, a motion caught his eye. _

_Leonardo was still in a fitful sleep, but now his face had contorted to an extreme degree, as if he were enraged by something. But what had caught Splinter's eye was the movement of his mouth. Words were clearly being formed on the small green lips, but no audible sound was coming out. _

_"Speak, my son." Splinter urged, dying to hear some semblance of health from the boy. But the turtle shook his head rapidly, breathing hitching at the sound of the rodent's voice. _

_"He's hurting him..." Came the soft, hoarse voice that even the sensitive ears of the rat almost missed. Splinter reached for his son, who was obviously distraught and becoming delusional with fever. Splinter gulped hard before placing his paw on the child's forehead, massaging his thumb into the worry lines in an attempt to loosen them. When that failed, the father sighed and stood, reluctantly backing up to the door without taking his brown gaze from the weakened being until he was standing outside of the room._

_"I will be back soon, Leonardo. Please stay well." The rat whispered out loud, though it was more of a prayer than a request._

Cold wind swept through the rooftops as Leonardo hunched over the ledge of a building, the light from the moon above casting his form as a silhouette to anyone who may happen to look up from the streets. He rubbed his arms absent-mindedly, the thin layer that the trench coat provided not nearly enough to keep him warm. He stared down with burning orange globes at a single level of the fire escape below him, the only thing impairing his vision being white clouds coming from his breath. The turtle remained silent, still, and focused despite the chill in the late autumn air, eyes glued to the dark platform of the escape.

Soon his vigilance was rewarded, and a flicker of fleeting light met him. The masked turtle immediately leapt at the sight of the signal, landing on the freezing metal steadily and silently. A startled yelp came in response to his appearance, and a smack in the arm to his smug smirk.

"You stupid ninja!" The red-headed human woman scolded quietly, anger clear on her face, "Gosh Leo, you didn't have to come the exact moment I made the signal."

"Sorry, April." Leo replied, the humor in his voice betraying his true feelings. The blue-eyed young woman only rolled her eyes and crossed her arms in a huff, "I thought you'd be used to this by now, though."

"Har har. Very funny mister 'scare the bejesus out of April for fun'." April deadpanned, and smiled before Leo could make an indignant reply, "I'm joking, bud. I know you don't do it on purpose." The human girl appeased the ever serious ninjitsu student.

"How are you?" Leo asked, changing the subject to avoid adding fuel to her fire by telling her he did indeed spook her purposely quite often. April hugged her arms close to her middle, rubbing up and down the long, thick sleeves of her one hundred percent, goldenrod yellow, wool sweater.

"Cold." She said simply, shivering to prove a point, "Casey's out-of-town, he told me to say hi before you left." At that, Leo raised an eye ridge.

"He _only _said hi?" He asked, not believing for a second that the wild, overprotective gang member would just send a message of hello to him. April bit her lip, knowing she had been caught.

"Fine. He said he doesn't want you to go." She admitted with another huff, "And that if he wasn't taking care of Angle, he'd be over here pounding you down into the sewers and welding all of the manhole covers shut in Manhattan."

"That's sound like your boyfriend." Leo chuckled, sobering up immediately when he realised April didn't sound happy and was shooting daggers at him.

"He's not my boyfriend. And I agree with him." April said, continually staring firmly at Leo with her cerulean blue glare. The ninja turtle was a bit taken aback by this action, as he was hardly ever the victim of a full-out killer stare from the red-head. Before he could get an edge in word wise, as always, April kept talking, "I mean, its getting cold. Fast. And you don't deal well with this sort of weather. So your going to go looking for some people that you've never even met before? You don't even know if they know about you, Leo! Don't you think there is a better way to go about this?" She asked, desperation seeping into her tone as it went from angry to motherly. A blast of frozen air blew in suddenly, making the young woman draw into herself even more, "Or a better time?"

Leo paused for a moment, not even flinching against the gusts though he felt their bite. He took note of April's expression, worried and anxious, and smiled, "All that matters is that I know them. Even if they don't know who I am, fate has bound us together and will pave the way for us."

"But why?" April pleaded, "Why you? Why them? We need you here, Leo. I need you. So does Casey, Splinter, and..." He feminine voice trailed off, and the turtle knew where she was heading.

"Your Uncle and Sister." He finished in a hushed manner. The noisy silence of New York that hung in the air between them served as his reply along with April's bowed head, downcast with grief and guilt. Reaching out tenderly, Leo placed his three-fingered hand on her shoulder to comfort her, "I'll find them too, April. I promise."

"Yeah, well, what if you don't?" She lashed back angrily, jerking away from his touch and looking up at him with tears rimming her eyes, "What if you leave me too? What will I do then? Leo, I couldn't live with myself if anything happened to you!"

"None of this is happening because of you, though! Not even I can control what's happening. I just... I know I have to go. I can't explain it." He replied adamantly, voice hitching as his empathy caught her emotions. His words did nothing to console the young woman. In fact, it only opened up the flood gates to send soggy tears down her cheeks.

"That's what scares me the most." She whispered, grabbing the mutant's hand in her own, smaller one. Leo gripped her hand and leaned forward to rest his forehead against hers.

"Me too." He quietly replied as April closed her eyes in an effort to keep from openly sobbing. What seemed like seconds later, but was more than ten minutes long, April tilted her head up and planted her lips against the teen's forehead.

"Come back safely, Leonardo." She said firmly when she withdrew, as if she hadn't been holding back her unstable emotions only moments ago. Leo looked up and smiled softly, nodding slightly as he did so.

"Hai, Nee-chan." He replied simply before releasing her warm hand and tilting his weight backwards, knowing she would watch until he disappeared into the darkness of the night, and had already begun awaiting his return.

_Searing pain raced throughout the tiny body, causing Leonardo's back to arch as much as it could with the hard shell that encased it. He cried out, but no comfort came, only fear and agony. Deep down, though, he knew this pain was not his own. He could hear the other's voices, feel their emotions, understand their hearts. It took all of his might to reach out to the one being hurt, yet every time he would get close, another injury was added to the other, or it would fiercely push him away. Underneath the trepidation and despair this one was feeling, was endless endurance and a protective spirit. Leonardo knew that the one pushing him away was only trying to spare him the misery he was faced with, but regardless of whatever befell him, the young turtle would not let this amazing spirit face his trials alone. _

_Just like that, though, the sensation disappeared, replaced in turn by a soft and warm touch that caressed his face. The hand on his cheek was not his father's, he knew. No calluses scratched against his skin, or sharp nails prickling against the scales. With the pain subsiding, Leonardo found himself able to open his eyes just a tad. Immediately he caught sight of brilliant orange, blurring in with what he could only assume to be a face._

_"Mornin' sweetheart... You're okay now... Get... rest, Leo..." Leonardo could only her snippets of the words being directed towards him. He had no doubt, though, that the loving, feminine voice that addressed him belonged to a kind-hearted person. Despite the dull ache in his mind that extended throughout his body, the turtle tot managed to smile at the kindness being given to him._

_"No one ever called me Leo 'afore." He mumbled as his head rolled to the side, pressing deeper into the soft hand as he fell into a dreamless slumber._

Once on the cold concrete below the apartment building, Leo recovered his composure and head straight for the double doors leading into the complex. A large black mat sat just inside the doors for the residents or visitors to wipe the mud off of their shoes. Lifting up a frozen stiff corner, the ninja found a large yellow envelope pressed against the ground. He swiftly took the package that had been pre-placed in the location and moved back out into the open, taking refuge in plain sight under a street lamp nearby. He looked around cautiously to check his surroundings for any onlookers. Finding none, he turned his attention to twisting the metal spokes through the hole that kept the envelope shut, flipping the flap open and reaching tenderly into the bubble mailer. A small, plastic card was the first document inside to slide out.

One side of the card looked completely white until he tilted it under the lamp light to reveal the irredecent stamp of authenticity that every Human Mutant License was required to have. The acronym MLE stood out the most over the pinkish blue shine of the American flag, letting all who held one of these licences know that the Mutant Law Enforcement were the ones allowing them to walk about freely. On the reverse side of the plastic document, the printing was very similar to a driver's licence. His profile picture was clearly placed in the upper left hand corner, with his Name, weight, height, eye and skin color printed out in exact detail below it. The only fact that was incorrect on the card was his age. The license pronounced Leonardo to be thirty years old when he was actually eighteen. This was the most vital part of his identity that had to be kept hidden on account that there were no mutants alive under the age of twenty eight. If anyone found that out, they could fetch a good reward for turning him over to the MLE.

After placing his forged lisence in his bag, the turtle checked the other documents to make sure they held the same information. He found a birth certificate, saying he was born human and that his birthday was thirty years ago, a Tested Human Mutant certificate, and check up record. All had the information he had ordered months ago on it, and he deliberately folded each individual paper to place it along with his license in the burlap sack before he slung it over his shoulder.

Instead of going incognito like he had on the way to the apartment, Leo decided to test out his new persona and began wandering the streets openly. He kept his posture slightly hunched, and his head low like any other mutant living in this prejudice city. Splinter would have scolded him for his slouching demeanor, but this way he was like any other unfortunate mutant that valued its life. Since it was just after dark, Manhattan's human population was still out and about, either heading home or going to work the night shift. Leo made sure to keep his eyes low and not make any sort of contact with the humans he did happen upon.

Humans tended to have a superiority complex towards those who had been mutated due to the way popular culture molded society, with small exceptions that included April and Casey. Though many non-mutated people kept their distance from the potentially dangerous creatures that roamed the streets on a daily basis, more often than not they would call local law enforcement on a shady mutant in an instant.

Within another hour, though, the mutants would start to creep out. Lower East Manhattan, where the turtle was heading currently, would be filled with all shapes, sorts, and sizes of mutations. This fact was proved true when he brushed past a creature that seemed to have been human at one point, but grew orange and pink hair from all three of its arms sometime after it was introduced to the mutagen that had transformed him. Leo tensed as he went past the being, but the other didn't even seem to mind. As a matter of fact, the turtle was downright ignored.

This was a new feeling to the ninja. He had never been allowed to travel openly on the surface for such a seemingly casual stroll, for not even he knew if he was a human or animal based mutant. Of course, mutants that were originally human had some rights, where mutants that had been transformed from an animal had absolutely zero. Bad things happened to animal based mutants, whether by human or a fellow mutant's hands. Leo lifted his collar higher against his cheeks to hide more of his face at the thought of being confronted by someone who doubted his genetics.

Part of him felt relived, though, that he had his documents to 'prove' his human beginnings. Yet, he knew, the thin papers were practically useless in the face of the ongoing prejudice against his kind. There was no true freedom in this currently cold, unforgiving world.

As he kept travelling Southeast, the english words on the lit up neon signs changed to Chinese characters. Like he had suspected, many mutants showed themselves from wherever they had been hiding before. The streets of Chinatown in Manhattan bustled with various creatures living their daily night lives. Still, Leo kept his distance from them, sticking strictly to the shadows. It was not uncommon for a human base to look down upon an animal base once one knew the other's origin, and there had been an ongoing rumour of late that some mutants could detect the difference between the two. Though Leo did not quite belive the stories, it was always better to be safe than sorry.

So Leo kept to the shadowy sidewalks, ignoring the unique looking vendors calling out for him to come into their restaurants or buy from their shops. It bothered him slightly when an octopus-like mutant yelled at him in Chinese to try some of his fried calamari before slurping a piece down himself. The act of cannibalism made the turtle's stomach lurch and he shook his head before hurrying off. He watched the roads, looking for one thing in particular. He found it in the form of an electric blue cab in desperate need of a new paint job waiting idly in front of a bus stop, the driver not visible behind the black tinted glass. Casually moving out from his shaded spot, Leo walked up to the car and knocked lightly on the glass of the passenger side. The darkened window rolled down midway to reveal sharp beady black eyes peering from the dimly lit depths of the car. The owner was obviously mutant, for no human cabbie would even bother offering his services to a mutant.

"I need a one way to Kings." The turtle informed the sketchy driver, keeping his tone as casual and even as any other New Yorker looking to hitch a ride. There was silence for a few moments following his request, a sharp popping noise that sounded suspiciously like an exploding gum bubble ringing out after a few seconds.

Then a deep, gruff voice leaked out menacingly from the vehicle, "Brooklyn, huh?" said the obviously male driver, "I can take ya'. Depends, though. Tolls or no?"

"No, unless you prefer a slow ride." Leo answered after a brief pause, knowing the question was a trap and he had to tread carefully. Everyone knew that tolls were not tolls at all, but rather, checkpoints that they scanned mutants at to see whether they were human or animal. Mutants in general avoided them, so it was a moot point to ask about, but late night cab drivers were particular about who they drove. Only human based mutants could get jobs working under humans, which gave them yet another reason to hold an air of superiority above animal based mutants. Most employed mutants refused service to animal bases, or worse, turn them over to the MLE. That in mind, Leo quickly pulled out his forged documents, sliding them through the window to be snatched away by the cabbie.

Several seconds passed in relative silence as the driver no doubt looked over the information. A brief bolt of doubt went through Leonardo's mind that told him there was no way this person would believe him. He refused to show it on his face, and pretended like he was not startled when a gravelly, "Get in." came from the car.

Trying hard not to gulp in anticipation, Leo stepped sideways and opened the back door to the bright blue taxi. Shuffling quickly across the bar bench back seat, Leo lay his bag beside him and firmly closed the door. Looking ahead to the front seats, the teen got a clear image of what his driver looked like. It took all his will power not to gape at the poodle that sat in front of him, handing back the documents with its bright blue dyed paw. The canine mutant had a wide variety of colors staining the poofs of curly fur that had been carefully trimmed about its entire body. The small, glittering disco ball hanging from the rear view mirror only added to the psychedelic dog's appearance. Trying not to stare to hard, Leo took his papers and licence back.

"Anywhere in particular, pal?" The poodle asked in a much less menacing manner than he had spoken in before. Leo held back a smirk, knowing the falsified papers had fooled the first of its many victims.

"Nope. Just drop me off wherever as long as it's Kings." He replied while tucking away his belongings. The cabbie nodded before turning his attention to the road, immediately honking his horn at a group of very feline looking mutants smoking hand rolled joints in front of his car.

"I hate cats." The dog mumbled under his breath as the offending mutants flicked him a few birds before slinking out-of-the-way. Leo took no notice of the mutants grumblings, or the blaring eighties music that followed as they sped dangerously through the slick streets. All the turtle could think of was arriving at his destination that held his awaiting destiny. His mind drifted off, as it often did, to the image he had created of his 'brother' in his mind.

Raphael. He had chosen the name from the Book of Renaissance Masters, finding it quite fitting for him. Raphael of old was always looking to best his seniors; Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. Thus, the renaissance master put endless amounts of energy into everything he did, leaving behind him a large legacy and countless works. In a similar manner, Raphael had what seemed like a never-ending spirit. The passion that his brother had left no doubt in Leo's mind of the fact that Raphael poured that spirit into everything he did.

Leo could almost laugh at the thought of what deeds his brother could be using such amazing energy to carry out. He knew even with just a small glimpse of Raphael's spirit that he would be able to conquer any trail, overcome the most difficult of obstacles. At the same time, though, Leo had felt Raphael's pain. He had no idea what kind of life the person he was looking for was living. The turtle's jaw clenched tightly in anger at the thought of anyone hurting someone so close to him.

"Woah!" Leo called out in surprise as he slid sharply to the left and was ripped from his thoughts. The cab driver had taken a sudden right turn to dodge a bus waiting at its stop that the car should not have been anywhere near in the first place. The poodle growled and muttered a string of explicit as he righted the vehicle onto its original course.

"Sorry 'bout that." The deep voice of the canine came from the driver's seat, "Road's a bit slicker than I thought. May want ta clip in." Leo gulped down his sudden dread and wondered if he would have been better off walking. Instead of asking to get out of the car like his gut told him too, he waved it off as if it were nothing while taking the mutant's advice and buckling up. The cabbie went back to driving and Leo turned his attention to the window. Snow had started falling lightly, melting against the glass as they struck the window. It was only then that Leonardo was grateful that the heater in the car was on high. Settling into the stained car seat that had been used by countless strangers, Leo rest his forehead against the tinted glass to keep from overheating in the ever warming car.

He would not take this heat for granted, though. Not when he was staring out at the mutants huddled around fiery trash cans for warmth, whatever clothing they could scrounge up wrapped around their trembling frames to protect them from the cold. How many times had he been in that position himself? Too many to count, for sure. It was just another part of life living as a mutant in this unforgiving world. Feeling guilty, Leo tore his eyes away from the street sides to look at his hands.

"Hey, listen ta this!" His driver called back out of the blue, turning his radio up even higher than Leo thought possible, "Sounds like dah MLE found another wanna dos' ships!" Leo's eyes widened at this as he turned his head to look at the radio, listening intently to the broadcast.

**"Yes, that's right, Tom!" **A woman's perky voice piped up in reply to a statement Leo hadn't caught, **"Top MLE Professor and Officer, Dr. John Bishop, has just released new information to the press. MLE authorities in India have searched for the remnants of an Utrom ship that had been reported to have crashed in the initial takeover twenty-nine years ago on January first. The Mutant Law Enforcement, who is here to serve and protect inhabitants that have been mutated by the biological weapon that the Utroms unleashed upon the surface of the Earth, have been looking for this felled ship even before they were registered as a government authority."**

**"Yes, yes, Rach, but why don't you tell the people why**** this ship is so important?" **A slightly annoyed, masculine voice cut in, obviously irritated by the girl's wandering thought pattern.

**"Oh right, I forgot. Sorry Tom!" **The bubbly female voice, Rach, spoke up as if remembering something, **"They found it! And this is the last ship! After this Utrom craft is recovered from the Arabian Sea, the information that the government has put together will be complete! The MLE may be able to finally discover a cure for all those affected by the 'mutagen' those slimy aliens exposed us to! Hurray!"**

**"Yeah, hurray." **Tom deadpanned, making Leo snicker at the contrast between the two personalities, **"But that wouldn't necessarily be a good thing for everyone." **Leo's smirk faded at this, and he felt his chest tighten. The driver's shoulders also tensed, letting the turtle know that they were sharing the same thoughts and both knew what was going to be said next, **"I mean, of course people would want to be human again, I mean, unless they like the way they look and the fact that they can never have children. But what about the ones that were animals, but now are sentient beings? I mean-"**

Leo jumped backwards as the radio channel was changed suddenly, speakers now blaring with heavy metal music, and he realized that he had slowly been leaning closer to the front as the conversation had goe on. The multicolored dog in the driver's seat placed his hand back on the steering wheel from the radio, a deep scowl on his face to reveal wicked looking fangs.

"Those animal lovin' hippies!" he shouted back at Leo, who gave an incredulous look to the psychedelic poodle for accusing others of being 'hippies', "Who cares about animals, right? So what if dey get turned back inta animals? Dey should just be glad dey were able t' have deh time dey had an' live with it. Ain't like dey got real feelin's anyways, dey're animals for cryin' out loud!"

At this point, the poodle seemed to be shouting to himself more than to his passenger. Leo could not help but to be disgusted at this man's hypocrisy. Here he was, an animal with collected, human thoughts, degrading those who were animal in the first place. Instead of trying to reason with the haughty mutant, Leo pretended to listen and nodded along. The mere action of acknowledging such statements as right left the young turtle with a bitter taste in his mouth. He didn't have to put up with it for long, for soon they pulled up to the outskirts of Brooklyn.

"Aight' kid, dis is yer stop." The mutant cab driver huffed as he pulled to a brightly lit curb and parked. Beady black eyes met blank orange ones as the driver twisted his body to face Leo. He tapped the meter on the dash that held Leo's total expenses for the lift with one hand while holding his hand out for the payment with the other. Hurriedly, Leo shifted his weight to grab his bag, which he hadn't realised he had crushed when he was flung to one side. There weren't many things in the bag besides the documents, so it made it all the easier to locate the brown leather wallet at the bottom of the sack. From it, he materialized worn green bills to hand over to his driver. With a huff and a snort, the cabbie snatched the cash away and promptly gave Leo the boot without so much as a goodbye. Not that Leo would have missed it.

From his place in the open against the cold snow, Leo watched the cab's red tail lights sink into the distance, easily identifiable for being the only traveller on the road. As soon as the red lights blinked out of view, Leo turned on his heel and searched around to gather his bearings. Currently, he was standing in front of what seemed to be an old, abandoned, brown brick apartment building that was enveloped by colorful graffiti.

Leo found this very convenient. He stalked up to the wide door whose white paint on its frame was chipping off to show the original green color underneath. The large window that covered the upper half of the door had been spray painted black to keep passerbys from seeing that the decrepit building was empty, which seemed pretty pointless when there was a tattered document taped to the door from the city of the structure's condemnation. Leo ignored the paper that was supposed to warn off intruders and grabbed the cold lever handle.

"Locked." He mumbled as he tried to force the handle down. Not wanting to bust the door in and attract unwanted attention, Leo circled the fairly large building until he found a fire escape on the East side. It was rusted and half gone, the first floor's section having been removed too keep people from doing just what he was about to do. The turtle examined the twelve-foot gap between him and the nearest ladder of the fire escape, eyes quickly spotting a window sill about halfway between the metal escape route and the ground. Smirking triumphantly, the athletic teen sprinted for the sill, leaping expertly into the air to grab on to the edge of the cement ledge. From there, he easily hoisted himself up to press himself plastron-first against the window.

Leo didn't bother testing to see if the window was open or not, since it was to small for him to fit through in the first place. Instead he carefully shifted his weight until he was standing sideways, one foot on the small ledge with the other dangling loosely in the air. He crouched tightly into a ball, keeping one hand on the brick in case he lost his precarious balance. Inhale. Exhale.

With the breath he let out, Leo soared through the air and grasped the metal rungs of the ladder as he neared them. He flinched harshly when the weak metal creaked loudly, and the whole fire escape shuddered as if his weight was a heavy burden on it. After the structure had settled, Leo made his careful ascent to the next door up, on the third floor. As he went, he ignored how a heavy feeling developed in his gut, informing him that gravity was working harder and harder to pull him back to the ground. When he finally reached the door, and it gave way when he pushed it open, a sense of relief replaced the anxiety.

Once inside the building, sheltered from the cold bite outside, Leo went into stealth mode to scout out the level. He was currently in a hallway that lead to four different apartments. An old roll-out rug covered the length of the corridor, and was in surprisingly good shape compared to the rest of the room. All of the lightbulbs had been removed from their sockets, and the wallpaper had been stripped away to reveal unplastered drywall just underneath. There were no doors to any of the apartments, which made it easy for Leo to slink silently into the vacant living spaces and make sure no one was living in them.

As soon as Leo was sure no one would disturb him, he found a relatively clean place to settle himself on the floor, taking up the lotus position as he did so. It didn't take long for the turtle to clear his mind so that he could search for his nearest brother. As soon as he entered the astral plane, he intended to seek out Raphael's aura. Instead, blaring red consumed his mind, pain searing throughout his body. Leo cried out in anguish, falling backwards onto his shell as he pulled away from the vision. He panted heavily while staring up at the ceiling, where his breath could be seen snaking upwards.

"What, who...?" Leo stuttered, utterly confused as to what had happened. He had not felt pain from his brother since he was little. Even then, the aura had not come through so concentrated or painful. Soon, Leo's confusion gave way to raw anger. His face contorted in disgust at the thought of someone harming Raphael. Someone was going to be sorry they crossed him.

But first, he needed to locate his pseudo brother. Taking a calming breath, Leo sat up once more into his medative position, finding it a bit harder to clear his thoughts and emotions away this time around. Once he was again in the realm of nothing, Leo sought out the red. It came just as swift and painful as it had before, but Leo was prepared this time around. He braced against the onslaught of rage, keeping his mental outlook neutral while bearing through the agony wracking his system. He pushed his way through the mental cloud of crimson, coming to the eye of the storm where an unsettling calm was being strenuously held in place. It was here that Leo finally opened his mind to the aura, pinning it's location down as accurately as he could before quickly making his exit.

When Leo opened his eyes again, the light of determination was lit anew. Clenching his fists tightly, a hissing whisper escaped his lips, "I'm coming for you, Raphael."


End file.
